sexism in music videos

• In 2013 “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus provoked controversy.
• Lily Allen’s “Hard out Here” video parodied black music videos that reduce black women’s bodies to lurid props.

The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. The theory suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective

Mulvey states that the role of a female character in a narrative has two functions

1. As an erotic object for the characters within the narrative to view
2. As an erotic object for the spectators within the cinema to view

The characters that look at others are seen as the active role (male)

The characters that are to be looked at are passive (female) They are under control of the males gaze and only exist for visual pleasure.

Females often slow the narrative down, they act as inspiration for men to act.

Males on the other hand, push the narrative forwards and make things happen and are seen as active.

Female Objectification

Objectification is related to the gaze

The persons gazed at are objectified, treated as an object whose sole value is to be enjoyed or possessed by the voyeur

Objectified characters are devalued and their humanity removed.

A Patriarchal society means that the Men dictate all of the rules as they are seen as the dominate gender. Mulvey argued we live in a patriarchal society in which men set the majority of the rules and construct and represent the ideal visions, roles and male dominance over woman. The worry that the industry have is a passive audience will be influenced by this representation of reality and copy it and it will actually become reality if it hasn’t all ready.

The image seen here is how mulvey

 described how men see woman

Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking ball'

After Mileys contract with Disney ended she went on to make her own music, the change from being Hannah Montana shocked her fans as her music videos and lyrics had shown she isn't the same girl anymore. Miley had done this to tell people that she has grown up and isn't Hannah Montana anymore, she has found who she is and won't change. Sinead O’Connor warned Miley, “Not to let them prostitute you!” I believe Miley is being herself and letting herself go after so many years of being Hannah Montana who was sweet and innocent.

Lilly Allen 'Hard out here'



Lilly Allen's Music video in my opinion is a feminist video, although the video may not look like it the lyrics show that it is and the video is a mock of those woman that are objectified. The video does not defeat the idea of feminism, it instead shows what woman have to go through to be recognised and liked by others.

Robin Thicke 'Blurred Lines'



When Robin Thicke realised His single 'Blurred Lines' 20 Universities in the states banned this video because they did not agree with the lyrics nor the non explicit version of the video and did not want their students seeing this. The lyrics are said to be controversial and after having looking at the lyrics I got the idea that he was singing about trying to have his way with a woman by bringing her secret bad side out which some people found offensive. There are two versions of the video, one the girls are more covered up which is the one above but the other version the woman are topless. There are two versions because it would be inappropriate to be showing younger people an explicit video that would be played on music channels. In the video the woman are very revealing and pouncing around like they don't know any better which will indicate to some people that all woman are silly and have no respect for themselves.